Covering apparatus or tent for a platform swing

ABSTRACT

A covering apparatus or play tent is designed to sit disposed around a suspended platform swing. The tent is attached to a platform swing. The swing which is suspended by a rope from the ceiling has the ability to move forward, backward, laterally, and to rotate in both directions. Thus, the occupants have the ability to experience all of these movements while remaining inside the tent that is attached to the swing. The tent can be made of light weight canvas and has four isosceles trapezoidal sides with one side acting as a door. The door has a small inset window made of mesh with a material flap for closure. The tent may have both a ceiling and a floor. The outside of the tent has three small panels of felt which are attached to the tent for use with stories and literacy concepts.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to enhancing the therapeutic use ofsuspended swings and particularly in an educational setting forchildren. In this way, a suspended platform swing that is generally usedfor balance, kinesthetic and sensory stimulation can be enhanced and itsuses expanded by employing an accessory such as a tent to its generalframe. In addition, the application of the swing can be expanded toinclude meta-learning by incorporating felt panels on the outside of thetent so that children can participate in interactive learning throughthe use of felt shapes that correspond to stories, songs and otherlearning concepts.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

It is well known in the art that children enjoy the sensation ofswinging. They also garner therapeutic benefit from using swings asevidenced by Brown (U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,761), Clevenger (U.S. Pat. No.5,161,522) and Groth (U.S. Pat. No. 3,130,969). Swings challenge anddevelop the neurological systems associated with balance, kinestheticsense, vestibular sense and sensory integration. Swings have been usedon playgrounds for the enjoyment of physical play and also to facilitatehealthy neurological development in all children. Recently, swings havebeen used within clinical and school therapeutic environments asevidenced by Groth.

Within the school environment, children play in a variety of waysincluding using structural playhouses for physical and imaginative play.They often find safety and security within the confines of thesestructures. Children also have the ability to review cognitive conceptswhile they play imaginatively while using a collapsible playhouse suchas those delineated in Conrad (U.S. Pat. No. 4,992,068) and Brumbach etal. (U.S. Pat. No. 550,803).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The disclosures discussed above do not address the benefits ofmeta-learning by combining the concepts of sensory-motor learning withthe learning of cognitive concepts. The present invention combines bothtypes of learning by offering children the opportunity for sensory playwhile also cementing cognitive concepts offered through stories, songs,and other learning activities.

Children affix educational shapes to the felt panels associated with atent that is attached to a platform swing, then climb onto the swing andthrough pretend play incorporate the movement of the swing into theaction of the story, songs or other learning activities. In addition,children who require therapeutic intervention for sensory needs are ableto enjoy the safety and security provided by the tent and the gentleswinging motion afforded by the suspended swing. Children with typicallydeveloping nervous systems may also enjoy the safety and security theyfeel as they climb inside a tent that is attached to a swing.

The present invention provides a tent that is collapsible, suspended ona platform swing, and incorporates elements of meta-learning on itssides by means of storyboards.

The present invention also relates to a tent suspended on a platformswing, comprising four isosceles trapezoidal sides, one of which acts asa door, and whose other three sides have three trapezoidal panels offelt on the outside which are attached to the tent for the use witheducational concepts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a platform swing with a tent attachedaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a platform swing with the tent attachedaccording to the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the tent attached to the platform swingaccording to the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the tent attached to the platform swingaccording to the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the tent door in a raised positionaccording to the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the tent prior to being attached to a platformswing.

FIG. 7 is a front view of the tent showing tabs for attachment to theplatform swing and the door of the tent in a raised position.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the tent showing the requisite tabs forattachment to the platform swing and a felt panel used for teachingconcepts.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the tent with the tabs for attachment tothe platform swing and felt panels for teaching concepts.

FIG. 10 is a view of the base of the tent with tabs available to attachthe tent to the base of a platform swing.

FIG. 11 is a close up view of a top tent corner and the top tabs forattachment.

FIG. 12 is a close up view of the side tabs.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A covering apparatus or tent is disclosed for being attached around aplatform swing. Preferred embodiments of the covering apparatus or tenton the platform swing will now be described below with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a tent 100 connected to a swing. The front side 132of the tent 100 shows an inset doorway 126 disposed between the sideseams of the tent 100. A door 122 which is formed by a flap of the tentcovers this inset doorway 126. The door 122 is composed of malleabletextile such as canvas making it well adapted to rolling up. It isattached to the front side 132 of the tent 100 by being stitched to theupper end of the front side 132, making it well adapted to being easilyrolled and unrolled manually. The tent of the present inventioncomprises four trapezoidal sides 120 including a front side 132, asquare fabric base 118 and a square fabric ceiling 116.

The door 122 is able to remain in a rolled up position through the useof a Velcro type hook and eye closure tab 150 that is located on theoutside upper portion of the door 122. The tab 150 attaches to acorresponding Velcro type hook and loop segment on the underside of thetent door 122. When the tent door 122 is properly rolled, these twoVelcro type hook and loop closures meet and satisfactorily maintain thetent door 122 in a rolled up position. Conversely, when the door isunrolled and resting in a flat position, the Velcro type hook and looptabs 152 which are located on the medial border of the front of the tent126 match with corresponding Velcro type hook and loop tabs on theunderside of the tent door 122.

FIGS. 2, 5, and 6 illustrate various top views of the tent 100. Thecorners of the trapezoidal sides 120 have attachable tabs 112 stitchedon which are securely attached to guide ropes by tightly fitting therope in-between the cusps of the tabs. The tabs 112 are securelyfastened around the ropes with soft Velcro type hook and loop closures.

FIG. 3 illustrates a frontal view of the tent 100. It has a flexibledoor 130 made of lightweight durable fabric. The door 130 is able tohang down and remained secured by Velcro type hook and loop tabs 150 onthe border of the front side 132 of the tent or it can be moved into arolled up position 122. It is held in this position by the Velcro typehook and loop tab 150 that corresponds to a similar Velcro type hook andloop tab on the underside of the rolled tent door 122. The door 122 maybe layered on top of the frontal side edges 132 or may comprise theentirety of the front side 132.

FIG. 4 illustrates a side 120 of the tent 100 having the felt panel 128attached onto the fabric of the tent 100. The felt panel 128 may be anyshape including trapezoidal or rectangular and the felt panel 128enables shapes or story boards to be attached to the tent for childrento interact with it. The felt panel 128 is attached to the side of thetent 120 through the use of Velcro type hook and loop tabs 153 placed onthe underside of the felt that correspond to the same type of Velcrotype hook and loop tabs that are attached directly to the side 122 ofthe tent.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a topside 116 of the tent andthe tabs 110 attached to it. A pair of tabs 110 is stitched onto thetent ceiling 116 at the area closest to the upper corners. The tabs 110are made of malleable material such as the fabric of the tent. They aredepicted in FIGS. 5 and 11 as having right angles so as to illustratehow they would conform to the swing support 106.

FIG. 11 provides a detailed view of a corner of the tent ceiling 116 andshows the relative positions of the tabs 110. The tabs 110 tie aroundthe suspension ropes 104 thereby securing the tent 100 to the platformswing support 106. FIGS. 5 and 11 show the attachable tabs 110 as having90 degree angles only for diagrammatic purposes. They are entirelymalleable and can be made solely of hook and loop textile elements.

FIGS. 7, 8, and 9 illustrate the tent 100 prior to being attached to theswing for structural support. Side attachments 112 are depicted in theirrelative placement on the corner edges of the tent, as are the top tabs110 depicted in their relative placement on the fabric ceiling 116.

As shown in FIG. 9, a window 124 can be inset into the door to viewchildren while they are using the tent 100 to make sure they remain safeand secure. On at least one of the tent sides 120, is a felt panel 128onto which meta-learning elements such as story book excerpts may beapplied.

FIG. 10 illustrates that the floor of the tent 118 has four cornerattachable tabs 114 stitched into the floor fabric 118. The cornerattachable tabs 114 help the tent 100 remain attached to the platformbase 108 by attaching them to hook and loop squares fastened to theswing platform base 108.

The tent 100 is preferably lightweight and collapsible and constructedof washable fabric that is durable. The tent 100 may also be made ofnon-collapsible material such as lightweight and sturdy firm plasticwhich would fit inside the structure of the swing support 106 and theswing base 108 and the guide ropes 104. The tent 100 may also functionas a coverlet around the swing support 106 and the swing base 108 andthe guide ropes 104 with the fabric coming up and around the swing base108 and gathering the fabric of the tent 100 together above the swingsupport 106 to secure it. It is recommended that there be no slackbetween the ropes of the swing and sides of the tent to prevent anylimbs or a head of a person from becoming stuck between the rope and thetent. The tent 100 may also be permanently attached around the swingstructure thereby eliminating the need for any Velcro type hook and looptabs.

FIG. 12 provides a detailed view of the top corner of the tent 100structure wherein two trapezoidal sides 120 meet the fabric ceiling 116.The top tabs 110 for attachment have been omitted so as to clearly showthe tabs 112 for attachment. The side tab 112 comprises an outerrectangular pair of members whose distance from one another is smallerthan the diameter of the guide rope 104 such that the guide rope 104must be forced into the tab 112 after which its removal is difficultunless pressure is applied vertically away from the stitching of the tab112.

The guide ropes 104 help support a platform swing base 108 by beingattached through the base 108 and the tips 104 of the guide ropes 104are typically knotted on the underside of the base 108. The guide ropes104 also pass through an upper circular swing support 106. The tentceiling 116 has tabs 110 stitched on its corners made of textile. Thetabs 110 attach around the guide ropes 104 passing through the circularswing support 106 by looping over the support 106 and are attachedaround the ropes 104. The top tabs 110 provide the tent 100 with theability to hang freely while remaining securely attached to the platformswing.

It is to be understood that although the present invention has beendescribed with regard to preferred embodiments thereof, various otherembodiments and variants may occur to those of the skilled in the art,which are within the scope and spirit of the invention, and such otherembodiments and variants are intended to be covered by the followingclaims.

1. A tent assembly comprising: a swing having a substantially shapedrectangular floor and a substantially shaped circular ceiling and fourguide ropes connected in between by means of being threaded through fourbored holes in said floor and knotted on the underside of said floorthreaded through four bored holes in said ceiling and connected to asuspension cable, and a fabric tent shell comprising of foursubstantially shaped trapezoidal fabric side walls, each side wallconnected to an adjacent side wall in side-by-side relationship, and asubstantially shaped rectangular fabric floor connected along a loweredge of said side walls, and a substantially shaped rectangular fabricceiling connected along a higher edge of said side walls, and a pair ofhook and loop closures attached to the tent shell constructed anddisposed around four guide ropes to connect to said swing, and a secondpair of hook and loop closures attached to the tent shell constructedand disposed on said swing floor, a third pair of hook and loop closuresattached to the tent shell constructed and disposed around the guideropes and swing ceiling.
 2. A tent assembly as set forth in claim 1,wherein said tent assembly has at least one of the side walls attachedto said tent shell solely at said side wall's upper seam thereby beingable to be rolled up for access to said tent's interior.
 3. A tentassembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said side walls comprise of amesh screen material.
 4. A tent assembly as set forth in claim 1,wherein one of said side walls includes a substantially shapedtrapezoidal window.
 5. A tent assembly as set forth in claim 1, whereinone of the side walls includes a substantially shaped rectangular feltpanel.
 6. A tent assembly comprising: a swing having a floor and aceiling and a plurality of guide ropes connected in between by means ofbeing threaded through a plurality of bored holes in said floor andknotted on the underside of said floor and threaded through a pluralityof bored holes in said ceiling and connected to a suspension cable, anda fabric tent shell comprising of a plurality of fabric side walls, eachside wall connected to an adjacent side wall in side-by-siderelationship, and a floor connected along a lower edge of said sidewalls, and a ceiling connected along a higher edge of said side walls,and a first connection mechanism attached to the tent shell constructedand disposed around a plurality guide ropes to connect to said swing,and a second connection mechanism attached to the tent shell constructedand disposed on said swing floor, a third connection mechanism attachedto the tent shell constructed and disposed around the guide ropes andswing ceiling.
 7. A tent assembly as set forth in claim 6, wherein saidtent assembly has at least one of the side walls attached to said tentshell solely at said side wall's upper seam thereby being able to berolled up for access to said tent's interior.
 8. A tent assembly as setforth in claim 6, wherein said side walls comprise of a mesh screenmaterial.
 9. A tent assembly as set forth in claim 6, wherein at leastone of said side walls includes at least one window.
 10. A tent assemblyas set forth in claim 6, wherein at least one of the side walls includesat least one felt panel.
 11. A tent for attaching to a hanging swingcomprising: a fabric tent shell comprising of four substantially shapedtrapezoidal fabric side walls, each side wall connected to an adjacentside wall in side-by-side relationship, and a substantially shapedrectangular fabric floor connected along a lower edge of said sidewalls, and a substantially shaped rectangular fabric ceiling connectedalong a higher edge of said side walls, and a pair of hook and loopclosures attached to the tent shell constructed and disposed around theswing, and a second pair of hook and loop closures attached to the tentshell constructed and disposed around the swing, a third pair of hookand loop closures attached to the tent shell constructed and disposedaround the swing.
 12. A tent as set forth in claim 11, wherein said tenthas at least one of the side wall attached to said tent shell solely atsaid side wall's upper seam thereby being able to be rolled up foraccess to said tent's interior.
 13. A tent as set forth in claim 11,wherein said side walls comprise of a mesh screen material.
 14. A tentas set forth in claim 11, wherein one of said side walls includes asubstantially shaped trapezoidal window.
 15. A tent as set forth inclaim 11, wherein one of the side walls includes a substantially shapedrectangular felt panel.
 16. A tent for attaching to a swing comprising:a fabric tent shell comprising of a plurality of substantially shapedrectangular fabric side walls, each side wall connected to an adjacentside wall in side-by-side relationship, and a floor connected along alower edge of said side walls, and a ceiling connected along a higheredge of said side walls, and a first connection mechanism attached tothe tent shell constructed and disposed to connect to the swing, and asecond connection mechanism attached to the tent shell constructed anddisposed on the swing, a third connection mechanism attached to the tentshell constructed and disposed around the swing.
 17. A tent assembly asset forth in claim 16, wherein said tent has at least one of a side wallattached to said tent shell solely at said side wall's upper seamthereby being able to be rolled up for access to said tent's interior.18. A tent assembly as set forth in claim 16, wherein said side wallscomprise of a mesh screen material.
 19. A tent assembly as set forth inclaim 16, wherein at least one of said side walls includes at least onewindow.
 20. A tent assembly as set forth in claim 16, wherein at leastone of the side walls includes at least one felt panel.